Sopranos vs The Shield, vs 24

I am very late to the regarding the Sopranos, so please no spoilers for that show. I have only seen the first season and I am waiting for the rest to appear from LoveFilm. But I'd just like to get a feel from some of the other TV addicts here. Which of these three shows is the most entertaining?
After season 1 of Sopranos, I really can't see why this show is held in such high esteem? For me, out of those three shows, The Shield is the best. It's a very close call between it and 24, but 24 is just a little too preposterous to be better than The Shield.

The first season of the Sopranos was great, but the show really got better over the following seasons. It's better than the Shield IMO, mainly because the Shield is going for the more 24-style action/drama rather than the more serious and literary tone of The Wire/Deadwood/Mad Men (to which The Sopranos subscribes).....

Overall, I'd say that it has since been surpassed, but it's worth remembering that it came out in 98/99, when pretty much everything on TV was utter shite. In a way, The Sopranos is like the Citizen Kane of TV dramas (in that it showed what was possible for other shows).

And before other posters rip on me for calling it "Citizen Kane", yes i am aware of other great TV shows that preceded it (I'm a big fan of Twin Peaks, among others) but I am also aware of other great movies that preceded Citizen Kane.....

The Sopranos is the best series tv has ever produced, it may not be as accessible as the action packed 24, but the writing is better imo.
The ways the characters developed in the Sopranos was fantastic, if you watch all the series in order you will appreciate the richness of it all.

Series 6 part 2 was the best as far as im concerned.
Richie Aprile was the best bad guy

@sargulesh
I take your point. I am still going to watch the rest of the series. I just expected The Sopranos to hit the ground running and keep its level of excellence throughout its complete run. I somehow was more intrigued with the first season of 24 and The shield.

@cianchristopher
I hadn't even considered that the Sopranos is that old. But remember, the other two shows were only one or two years away with their respective first seasons. I suppose it is to its credit that it has aged as well as it has.

@Dirtbox
I love how you shoehorned a show into your top four, when this thread is only discussing three shows.

The best TV shows I can think of, and the ones most worth owning on dvd are: The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men....... and I would say The Shield but you're better off downloading that thanks to Sony UK's ridiculous decision to chop massive amounts off certain dvds (Season 5 finale is reduced from 70 mins to 48 mins on the UK dvd)......

Oh, and Band of Brothers and Generation Kill are the best Miniseries....

It's not worth owning 24 as it's the same fucking thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.....

cianchristopher wrote:
And Ian McShane as Al Swearengen is the greatest character in the history of TV. Phenomenal!

Cianchristopher, from this day forth I shall hold your opinion in higher esteem than my own girlfriends. Al Swearengen was an absolutely immense bastard. Lit up the show. The only reason I tolerated season 3.

The Shield followed a similar arc to The Sopranos, I felt. Series 1 and 2 were good but not amazing. From Series 3 onwards it's breathtaking and it has the best finale of any TV show ever made bar none. Series 7 of The Shield shows how to complete, with love and care, something that you have been building with love and care. Series 5 of The Wire, e.g., shows how to shit all over the story you've been putting together.

Oh, and the West Wing is another good (great?) show but it helps if you're willing to be very forgiving with certain shortcomings (and I'm not talking about overly sentimental American patriotism, though it has that at times)....

My big problem with it is that many (too many) of the characters speak with the same voice (what I mean is that the dialogue is comlpetely interchangeable for certain characters - and the delivery by the actors (their tone, their speech patterns) are extremely similar). Actually, it's basically Aaron Sorkin's voice being channelled....

Hm, cianchristopher. In that case, I shall reserve judgement until I get a few more seasons under my belt. I am now curiously excited for the arrival of Richie Aprile. Is this character as memorable as Omar from the Wire? Or even more memorable?

Please, no spoilers, guys. I have only seen one season of the Sopranos.